In the feeding of any farm animals, including poultry, one of the dominant roles in increasing productivity belongs to feeding. Here will be considered recipes for compound feed for hens. Any cross-egg direction with improper feeding will not provide the egg production that is genetically laid in it. Fodder can be used ready-made, but you can make them yourself.
The concept of industrial feed
They are loose and granular. They are made for the specific name of the bird, depending on its use, age and gender.
Often mixed feed for chickens is produced as a full-feed mixture. This indicates that only he can be used for feeding this group of farm poultry, since it contains all the mineral elements, vitamins, necessary substances in the proportions that have been established by science and practice.
The range of industrial feed for this bird is not very wide. So, PK-1-1 compound feed is produced for laying hens of the age of 20-44 weeks, and PK-1-3 for older ones.
Regulatory requirements regulate not the composition of compound feed for chickens, but the energy nutritional value of the diet, its feed value, and the absence of harmful impurities.
In most cases, the components of PK-1-1 are as follows:
- wheat - 65%;
- sunflower meal - 18%;
- meat and bone meal - 11%;
- vegetable oil - 2.5%;
- fodder yeast - 2%;
- vitamins and minerals in the form of supplements - 1.5%.
For those who feed birds with different feeds, the industry produces grain mixtures, which are used to balance rations.
The main advantages and disadvantages of industrial and domestic feed
The main advantage of industrial compound feeds for hens is that the farmer or poultry breeder at home does not need to worry about how to balance the diet that the bird needs in a specific time period.
The disadvantages include the following:
- a relatively expensive method of feeding;
- purchasing feed from an unknown producer, the poultry breeder purchases a “pig in a poke”: it is not known which antibiotics, dyes, preservatives were added to it, under what conditions it was stored, and therefore the question of the effect of eggs obtained from birds remains unclear, received such compound feed for laying hens.
The concept of home feed
The chicken digestive tract is adapted for the consumption of various feeds having both plant and animal nature. Basically, the diet is saturated with concentrated varieties made from grains of the corresponding crops. In addition, homemade mixed fodder for chicken includes greens, fruits, vegetables, which have a reduced energy value compared to the above feeds.
Broilers and laying hens should receive their own special diet. This is due to the fact that the first need to give out meat productivity, while the second need to ensure adequate egg production.
Therefore, the optimal ratio is considered to be a compound feed for chickens, including 80% of concentrates and 20% of bulk feed and those of animal origin. If it is impossible to provide such a quantity of grain mixtures, their specific gravity can be reduced to 65%.
Sometimes at home they prepare mixers. With this method, concentrates and vegetables are seasoned with warm water or whey. In summer it is enriched with vitamins and minerals, and in winter - with fish oil. They are used if the bird pecks food within an hour.
The use of ingredients in the independent manufacture of feed
During the implementation of this process, care must be taken to ensure that the components that make up the combined feed are of high quality. This must be done in order not to poison the bird.
As already noted, the composition of compound feeds for laying hens made with their own hands should include concentrates, voluminous feeds, those of animal origin, as well as yeast and premixes, which include various minerals and vitamins in their composition to maintain optimal bird life.
Concentrates in the diet
These include grains of the corresponding crops, which can be subjected to various processing, crushed or used in whole:
- Cereals proper (wheat, rye, barley, oats, corn). They are characterized by a large number of easily digestible carbohydrates in their composition. In home cooking, it is better to use a mixture of flour from these grains and whole seeds. As for humans, sprouted grain is of great benefit, due to the increased content of B vitamins in it.
- Legumes (lupine, soy, peas, chickpeas, lentils, rank) - contain a large amount of crude protein (in soy and lupine it can reach 40%).
- Oilseeds (colza, sunflower, rapeseed) - contain easily digestible fats and tocopherol. They, as a rule, are used in the form of meal or oilcake, which is an oilseed waste.
When compiling recipes for compound feeds at home, it is necessary to proceed from the fact that it contains not one, but two or three concentrates. Typically, the bird is fed with corn, barley and wheat. If the farm has several grain feeds, then it is better to observe chickens during the feeding period and identify the one that is consumed most willingly.
Bulky feed
Similar feed ingredients are divided into the following groups:
- Juicy (green grass, berries, fruits, vegetables). The source of carotene is vegetables that have an orange color (pumpkin, carrots), due to which the yolk in chicken eggs becomes saturated orange.
- Rough (hay dust, hay) - replace grass in the winter season. The following herbs are dried for the bird in question: plantain, wood lice, wheat grass, alfalfa, sainfoin, clover, nettle.
Bulk feeds contain a large amount of vitamins, the amount of fiber with proper balancing does not exceed permissible standards. When using them, the layers do not gain excess weight.
Animal feed
They are distinguished by a high content of complete protein. These include:
- meat and fish offal;
- meat and fish products processing wastes;
- broths on meat or fish;
- dairy products (cottage cheese, whey, reverse, milk of various freshness) containing calcium, which prevents the acquisition of synthetic analogues of this element.
Offal of meat should be added in a small amount, as they can adversely affect the health of the bird. You also do not have to zealous with white bread and sweets for the same reasons.
Premixes in feed
Even with proper balancing of the diet for the main substances, there is a lack of certain mineral elements and vitamins. Therefore, at least in industrial, even in home mixed feeds, it is necessary to add vitamin and mineral supplements in the form of premixes to them. In their own households, if it is impossible to purchase the latter, you can use chalk and limestone as a source of calcium, vitamin D - fish oil, tocopherol - sunflower oil.
Any compound feed should be moderately salted. For this, 3-5 g of sodium chloride is added per 1 kg.
Use of Fodder Yeast
They are used to increase the nutritional and digestibility of other components. In 1 kg of prepared for this moment according to the recipe feed for chickens with their own hands, add 1.5 l of a solution of room temperature, prepared with 20 g of yeast, after which stirring and aging are carried out in a warm place overnight.
Feed production at home
After the ingredients are selected, it is necessary to determine their percentages. To do this, carry out balancing for each ingredient using special look-up tables. Ready-made feed for chicken should contain about 15-20% crude protein and not more than 6% fiber. In industrial conditions, balancing is carried out according to many indicators. At home, you can consider at least these two.
Chickens prefer heated feed, but if this is not possible, then use it prepared by crushing individual grains mixed with whole grains. High-moisture components are included in the composition of the combined feed immediately before use, otherwise they can cause mold.
One chicken per day consumes about 120 g of the prepared mixture with fluctuations from 75 to 150 g.
DIY recipes for laying hens do-it-yourself
There are many variations of the various formulations used in feeding the bird in question. Any of them are aimed at maintaining her health and increasing productivity.
Consider some of the recipes.
For 1 kg of feed, you can add the following ingredients (g):
- corn - 450;
- wheat - 120;
- barley - 70;
- meat and bone meal - 60;
- fish and grass meal - 50 each;
- feed yeast - 40;
- sunflower meal - 70;
- bean component - 20;
- premix - 15;
- salt is 1-3.
There is a similar recipe with the addition of various batteries:
- corn - 450;
- wheat - 150;
- barley - 70;
- meat and bone meal - 50;
- fish meal - 50;
- grass meal - 30;
- feed yeast - 10;
- sunflower meal - 70;
- bean component - 20;
- premix - 10;
- eggshell or lumpy chalk - 10-20;
- sunflower oil - 3-4;
- salt - 3.
This diet is fully balanced in terms of essential substances, vitamins, macro- and microelements, and fiber.
If you need to add vegetables, the following recipe can be used (the amount is indicated in grams):
- wheat - 40;
- barley - 40;
- boiled potatoes - 70;
- fresh herbs, vegetable tops, hay - 30-40;
- grated carrots - 20;
- wheat bran - 15;
- fish and meat waste - 10-15;
- salt - 3.
It is better to try to make compound feeds according to different recipes, observing the eating of each bird in question.
It must be remembered that it is fundamentally impossible to correct egg production by one feeding. It is necessary to select the appropriate cross, take into account the season of the year and the microclimate in the room where they are contained.
Finally
Compound feed for chickens is industrial and homemade. The first one already includes the optimal set of feeds for poultry of a specific age. In the second, you need to choose the components yourself for optimal balancing. Any recipes must necessarily include concentrated feed as a source of carbohydrates and legumes as a protein ingredient. If necessary, their composition may include vegetables, herbs, fruits, hay. Orange yolk will be obtained when using carotene-rich vegetables or lupine, which contains a large amount of this substance.